This invention relates in general to a fabricated vehicle wheel and in particular to a fabricated wheel having a separate mounting cup secured to a disc face of the wheel.
Conventional fabricated wheels are typically of two-piece construction and include a center disc and an outer rim. The center disc includes a mounting surface provided with a center pilot hole and a plurality of lug receiving holes for mounting the wheel to an axle of the vehicle. In some instances, a three-piece construction is used, wherein a mounting cup is separately formed and then secured to the center disc. In both constructions, either a full wheel cover, or a smaller hubcap cover for covering only the lug mounting area of the wheel is provided.
Styled fabricated wheel have recently become popular and typically include an outer trim ring and a center hub cover. The region of the center disc between the trim ring and hub cover is painted an appropriate color, usually complementing the color of the vehicle, to complete the styled wheel. Further styling improvements of fabricated wheels include a full face design, wherein the center disc includes a disc face portion which extends radially outwardly to the outer edge of the wheel, thus eliminating the need for the outer trim ring. However, with this design, a center hub cover is still typically required to cover the lug mounting area of the wheel.